BREAKING: Mets trade Jeff McNeil to the A's
Jeff McNeil has spent his entire eight-year career with the Mets
Core no more once again.
The Mets traded INF Jeff McNeil to the Athletics along with $5.75 million for 17-year-old prospect RHP Yordan Rodriguez, according to multiple reports.
It had been long expected the Mets would eventually trade McNeil this winter, especially after they injected both Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco over the last month. Originally drafted in the 12th round of the 2013 draft, the 33-year-old McNeil has spent his entire eight-year career with the Mets, having won a batting title in 2022 and demonstrating renowned versatility on the field during his time with the Mets. The two-time All-Star hit .284/.351/.428 and hit over .300 three times, not including his debut season in 2018 when he hit .329 over that season’s final 63 games.
But McNeil’s fortunes began to turn after he signed his four-year contract extension before the 2023 season. He has posted just a .715 OPS and a 101 OPS+ in the three seasons since he won that batting title. McNeil has also made the wrong kind of headlines since the 2021 season, having publicly scuffled with Francisco Lindor in 2021 and then reportedly again behind closed doors this past season.
The prospect the Mets are acquiring in this deal pitched to a 2.93 ERA over 15 1/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League in 2025. He was an unranked prospect in the A’s system this past season, according to MLB.com.
The Mets are essentially getting $10 million in salary relief for 2025 and a distant prospect, but perhaps most importantly, the Mets are getting additional roster flexibility as they look to transition their failed roster from 2025 into a more functional unit for 2026.
With McNeil departing for the A’s, the Mets are exploring the possibility of acquiring Ketel Marte from the Diamondbacks, according to BeisbolFR. It is unclear how Marte, a career second baseman with only a small amount of experience in the outfield, would fit with or without McNeil. The Mets could also continue to look into free agency and explore a contract with Cody Bellinger or dip back into the trade market to find their badly needed solution in the outfield.
In the last month, the Mets have seen their four longest-tenured Mets depart either via free agency or trade. The Mets began by dealing Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Semien in late November. Then, Edwin Díaz left for the Dodgers via free agency, immediately followed by Pete Alonso’s signing with the Orioles.
Today was McNeil’s turn as the Mets front office continues to unload from the core of their roster.
After trading away what was left of the 2025 core, my prediction is that Stearns is going to shock everyone with a major piece. He has to—especially with Díaz and Alonso already gone. This can’t be the endgame. Just wait and see.
As for McNeil, this move was inevitable—and it was the right one. His batting average and power have been in steady decline for the past couple of years, and the 2022 batting title has been doing a lot of heavy lifting in people’s memories. The version of McNeil we saw lately wasn’t coming back.
Painful? Sure. But necessary. Now let’s see if Stearns follows this teardown with the kind of bold move that actually justifies it.
Pure salary dump. Ketel Marte? The Ketel Marte who played 735 games at 2B? That Ketel Marte? To play where? Obviously, I don't know what's in the works or what the grand plan has morphed into, but what's been announced so far makes no sense. There IS a grand plan ... right David?